Climate 2030: A National Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy is a peer-reviewed analysis of the economic and technological potential for a comprehensive suite of climate, energy, and transportation solutions and policies to greatly reduce U.S. global warming emissions and help get us on a path to avoiding some of the worst impacts of climate change. The results demonstrate that meeting stringent near- and medium-term emissions caps in the United States is feasible and can be done cost-effectively. This analysis is an important contribution to the U.S. and international climate policy debates.

The analysis relies primarily on a modified version of the Department of Energy's National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). The model was supplemented with offline analyses of energy efficiency and availability of biomass energy. The combined modeling effort is an integrated assessment of a package of climate and energy policies across multiple sectors of the economy within a timeframe of 2030. It captures the dynamic feedback effects between energy use, prices, investments, and the economy, while also considering competition for limited resources and land. Different policy scenarios, sets of assumptions, and resource/technology packages were analyzed. Among the solutions modeled are increased energy efficiency, greater contributions from renewable energy, increased vehicle efficiency, increased investment in research, development and deployment of existing and new low carbon technologies, smart growth incentives and the implementation of an economywide cap-and-trade program.

The analysis shows that the technologies and policies pursued under the Blueprint produce dramatic changes in energy use and cuts in carbon emissions. It also shows that consumers and businesses reap significant savings on their energy bills, while the economy continues to grow robustly.
About the Author: Rachel Cleetus is an economist with the Union of Concerned Scientists Climate Program. The focus of her work is designing effective global warming policies at the federal, regional, state and international levels. These policies include both market-based and sector-based approaches. In addition, she analyzes the economic costs of inaction on climate change.
Prior to joining UCS, Dr. Cleetus worked as a consultant for the World Wildlife Fund, doing policy-focused research on the links between sustainable development, trade, and ecosystems in Asia and Africa. She also worked for Tellus Institute in the energy and environment program. Dr. Cleetus holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Economics from Duke University and a B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University.
Steven Clemmer is the research director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Clean Energy Program. Mr. Clemmer conducts research on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing renewable energy technologies and policies at the state and national levels. He also manages UCS's coal and Midwest renewable energy projects and serves on the steering committee of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative.
Before joining UCS, Mr. Clemmer worked on energy policy for the Wisconsin Energy Office. Mr. Clemmer holds a M.S. in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in political science and history from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
David Friedman is the research director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Clean Vehicles Program and is the author or co-author of more than 30 technical papers and reports on advancements in conventional, fuel cell, and hybrid electric vehicles, with an emphasis on clean and efficient technologies. Mr. Friedman is currently a member of the Committee on the Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy with the National Academies Board on Energy and Environmental Systems.
Before joining UCS in 2001, Mr. Friedman worked for the University of California-Davis in the Fuel Cell Vehicle Modeling Program, developing simulation tools to evaluate fuel cell technology for automotive applications. At UC Davis, he also worked on the UC Davis Future Car Team to build a hybrid electric family car that doubled its fuel economy. He previously worked at the Arthur D. Little management consulting firm researching fuel cell, battery electric, and hybrid electric vehicle technologies, as well as photovoltaics.